Using a joystick module, we followed the movement of a chaotic magnetic pendulum. The pendulum bar was attached to a joystick that served as a pivot point and biaxial angular motion sensor. Using an Arduino board, we could follow the position as a function of time along both the "x" and "y"-axis and draw a graph showing the…

This paper presents the usage of an Excel spreadsheet for studying charged particle dynamics in the presence of uniform electric and magnetic fields. The equation of motion of the charged particle is developed under different conditions and the data is obtained in an Excel spreadsheet under variation of parameters such as the velocity of charged…

Research from brain science and the learning sciences support the notion that human cognition is grounded in our sensorimotor engagement with the physical world and that processes of learning can be shaped by our movements and actions. Increasing recognition that effective educational interventions can be seeded with embodied actions is paralleled…

We have recently developed a Graphs and Tracks model based on an earlier program by David Trowbridge, as shown in Fig. 1. Our model can show position, velocity, acceleration, and energy graphs and can be used for motion-to-graphs exercises. Users set the heights of the track segments, and the model displays the motion of the ball on the track…

This paper reports the use of Tracker as a computer-based learning tool to support effective learning and teaching of "toss up" and free fall motion for beginning secondary three (15?year-old) students. The case study involved (N = 123) students from express pure physics classes at a mainstream school in Singapore. We used eight…

Main aim of this study is to examine the influence of computer-assisted roundhouse diagrams on high school 9th grade students' academic achievements in the subjects of "Force and Motion". The study was carried out in a public high school in Diyarbakir the province in the Southeast of Turkey. In the study, the "pre-test-post-test…

Traditional science instruction is typically reliant on visual modes of learning, such as textbooks and graphs. Furthermore, since science instruction is often heavily dependent upon visual cues, students with visual impairment often do not have access to the same educational opportunities in most science classes (Jones, Minogue, Oppewal, Cook,…

This paper explores the value of employing multiple modalities to facilitate science learning with technology. In particular, it is argued that when multiple modalities are employed, learners construct strong relations between physical movement and visual representations of motion. Body interactions with visual representations, enabled by…

Students in 4 Canadian high school physics classes completed instructional sequences in two key physics topics related to motion--Straight Line Motion and Newton's First Law. Different sequences of laboratory investigation, teacher explanation (lecture) and the use of computer-based scientific visualizations (animations and simulations) were…

Discusses how a spreadsheet might be used in an introductory physics laboratory. Describes three categories of spreadsheet uses, advantages of spreadsheet, layout, accuracy, and modifications. Gives an example of the variable mass rocket problem with typical display. (YP)

Introduces a computer solution of the oscillation of a mass suspended by a spring in a viscous liquid. Describes the equations of motion, spreadsheet solution, copying the formulas, plotting the results, and extending the applications. Presents spreadsheet and physics formulas for the step-by-step solution and spreadsheet solution. (YP)

The purpose of this study was to explore how adult users interact and learn during a computer-based simulation given visual and verbal forms of feedback coupled with embedded elaborations of the content. A total of 52 college students interacted with a computer-based simulation of Newton's laws of motion in which they had control over the motion…

The main purpose of this symposium was to find new ideas and resources for the evaluation and improvement of physics education on all levels. The papers included in this document are entitled: (1) "Quality of Physics Teaching Through Building Models and Advancing Research Skills"; (2) "Evaluation of Physics Education in Terms of Its…